Whats the difference between the abstract and the introduction in science?

[chickflick]

I have a paper to do in forensic serology and I am not sure what the difference is between abstract and the introduction?

 

[MarkP]

The abstract is supposed to be a very brief summary of "What information is in this paper". Its purpose is to allow someone doing research to quickly be able to decide whether your paper has any info that is relevant to their research. The tone of the abstract is terse and dry.

The introduction, on the other hand is just the start of your paper. This might include the motivation for doing this research, information about previous studies that led to this one, as well as an introduction to what your paper is about. (In this sense, it overlaps the abstract a little bit). In addition to starting the conversation, it also should put the paper into perspective relative to other research or open questions on the subject. The tone of the intro is much more conversational.

Sorry, this is a bit difficult to describe. When in doubt, read the intros and abstracts of some other papers and you'll get a better feel for what the difference is.